Zimbabwe: “Hope in a Desert” at the Royal Geographical Society, London
The Mike Campbell Foundation
28 February 2013
Zimbabwe: “Hope in a Desert” at the Royal Geographical Society, London
“Hope in a Desert” is the theme of a presentation on the future of Zimbabwe hosted by the UK-based Mike Campbell Foundation at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London on Thursday March 7. The evening will be chaired by Kate Hoey MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe.
Despite the Zimbabwean economy’s spectacular collapse in the wake of the violent land invasions of 2000, the destruction of property rights and the demise of the rule of law, the country still has the irrefutable potential to recover its thriving economic status.
Ben Freeth MBE, executive director of the Mike Campbell Foundation, and Professor Craig Richardson, a U.S. economist who specializes in property rights and the Zimbabwean economy, will speak at the event.
They will contend that the imperatives for economic recovery and growth are enabling laws and policies, as well as the restoration of property rights.
They also believe that the chronic, widespread poverty can only be addressed when the country’s diverse resources – including its agricultural potential and mineral wealth – are utilised productively for the benefit of the entire nation.
Richardson’s theme, “Why do property rights matter? The case of Zimbabwe”, will demonstrate how property titles unlock financial capital, which can flow to a multitude of different areas and not only alleviate poverty and hunger, but create wealth and a better life for all.
He will contend that although the Zimbabwean economy is currently believed to be growing faster than most other economies, this is off a very low base – and that the artificial nature of its reported economic growth is dependent on massive infusions of foreign aid.
With the current conflict that remains on the land delaying any sustainable recovery of the agricultural sector, Richardson will propose possible solutions.
The third speaker, Gillian Higgins, is a London-based barrister from the chambers of 9 Bedford Row. She is a founding member of the International Criminal Law Bureau and the Director of ARC, a project concerned with the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Higgins, who has extensive experience in international criminal law and human rights law, will discuss issues related to justice and accountability. This will help to break the culture of impunity so prevalent in countries such as Zimbabwe, and which causes much suffering and stifles progress.
These issues are particularly relevant with Zimbabwe being in another election year.
The programme will include messages from the foundation’s two patrons: Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.
Archbishop Tutu has spoken out forthrightly on the gross human rights abuses and rule of law infringements in Zimbabwe, while Dr John Sentamu has described the existence of dictatorship and oppression as an affront to God, humanity and the principles of democracy and the Rule of Law.
In December 2012, Zimbabwe was ranked as one of the world’s worst performers in upholding the rule of law by the World Justice Project, which covered 97 countries.
Tickets cost £15 and the programme is from 7pm to 9pm on Thursday March 7. Doors open at 6pm and there is a cash bar available before and after the event.
To make a booking, log onto the Mike Campbell Foundation website: www.mikecampbellfoundation.com or contact Claire Freeth: phone: +44 (0)1795 842 341, e-mail: [email protected]
ENDS